Sighting system with foldable front sight with aperture post

ABSTRACT

The current system is a method for easily adjusting the front sight post on a firearm. The system is used to aid in easier front sight post adjustments as well as maintain a uniform sight picture throughout the aiming process. The system solves the current problem of viewing two separate sight pictures when looking through a rear sight. The system also solves the problem of needing a separate tool to adjust the sight post. The system includes four critical parts, a bottom sight post tower, a top sight post tower, a front sight post and a mechanism for providing constant upward force such as a spring. The system has multiple embodiments including the use of various sight posts.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority and is a continuation of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 15/614,501 filed Jun. 5, 2017 and also claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/346,432 of the sametitle and filed Jun. 6, 2016.

FIELD

This invention relates to firearm accessories, specifically to thesights and the corresponding sight pictures.

BACKGROUND

Back up iron sights have existed for many years to provide a sturdy andpurely mechanical method for aligning a shooter's line of vision with abullet's trajectory. Over those years, advances have been made toincrease the durability, aesthetics, and function of back up ironsights. The basic components of sights have stayed the same, namely anaperture in the rear of the gun to narrow the vision and provide thefirst point of alignment as well as a post in the front of the rifle toprovide the second point of alignment with the target. When the eye,aperture, post, and target are all aligned in a line of sight, then theflight path of the bullet is determined and an effective shot can bemade. A major factor in how well a shooter will perform is how intuitivesights are to align. If there are inconsistencies in the relativepositions of the different sight components that result from rangeadjustments, wind adjustments, ammunition adjustment, or any otheradjustment made to the front sight, then a shooter may becomeunconsciously biased by lining up components of the sight that are notintended to be aligned.

Frequently, front sight posts are protected with a surrounding housing,commonly referred to as “ears”, that prevents the post from being movedor damaged should the firearm be dropped or come into contact withforeign objects. This protective housing is not intended to create aline of sight on a state of the art front sight. However, the ears onthis protective housing or tower provides an extra alignment point,which can improperly be relied upon by the shooter.

The front sight post must be adjusted for each individual rifle andreadjusted to accommodate change in ammunition as well as many otherfactors if maximum accuracy is to be held. When the front sight isadjusted it changes position with respect to the ears of its protectivehousing, thereby changing what is seen when looking through the rearsight aperture. The ears surrounding the front sight post do notcurrently move along with the front sight post to provide continuousalignment. Only the sight post adjusts up and down while the protectiveears remain in one position.

A standard sight picture will have two points of visual alignment. Thefirst point that creates the alignment is the front sight post in thecenter of the rear aperture. The second, which is often incorrectlyrelied upon by the person aiming the firearm, would be the “ears” of thehousing or apparatus that surrounds the sight post, depending upon thefront sight, with the rear aperture. A person aiming the firearm oftenincorrectly relies on the position of the tower unconsciously,particularly if that person often shoots at a constant distance, as mayoccur at a shooting range.

Current systems typically utilize a front sight detent to ensure thefront sight post does not move after adjustment. While effective atkeeping the front sight post from moving, it increases the difficulty ofadjusting the front sight. A special front sight adjustment tool or animprovised tool such as a bullet must be used to depress the detent,hindering the ability of the operator to turn the front sight post.

SUMMARY

The system described herein provides a front sight that adjusts theheight of the protective housing when the front sight post is adjusted,thereby maintaining consistent alignment between the two. When lookingthrough a rear sight aperture at the front sight, the front sight postcan be aligned and in doing so, the arms of the tower of the front sightwill also be aligned. This system also provides for a very intuitive andvisually pleasing coaxial view which lines up multiple similar shapesenhancing a shooter's ability to shoot on target and making targetacquisition quicker because the shooter can safely rely on twopositioning elements on the front sight, those elements being the frontsight post as well as the ears of the protective housing.

To provide precision alignment in the front sight, a system is utilizedwherein the protective housing is separated into multiple components.The lower component is connected to the front sight base to provide thestability and adjustments needed when connecting to the firearm. Theupper component provides protective ears around the front sight post andadjusts along with the lower component while simultaneously adjustingalong with the front sight post. When no pressure is applied to theupper component, the top tower rests against the sight post making thetop tower and the front sight post a stable system. The top tower ismoved downward towards the bore of the firearm to adjust the sight postbut will return to its standard position resting against the sight postwhen released. The ability of the top tower to return to its restingposition against the front sight post, allows for continuous coaxialalignment between the sight post and the center of the top towerregardless of the height of the front sight post.

The continuous alignment of the system removes the problem ofmisalignment due to conflicting sight pictures when the firearm israised and the shooter looks through the sights. A standard sightpicture will have two aliment views. The first being the front sightpost in the center of the rear aperture. The second, which is incorrect,would be the tower or apparatus that surrounds the sight post, dependingup on the front sight, with the rear aperture. The proposed systemremoves this problem by making both sight pictures one.

A secondary advantage provided by the system is the ability to adjustthe sight post with no tools. In a standard AR-15 front sight, a detentbar must be depressed in order to move the sight post. In the currentlydisclosed system, one hand is used to depress the tower top while theoperator's second hand is used to rotate the sight post. The ability tomove the sight post while having no tools available increases theintuitive nature of the system and allows the system to be adjustedquicker and with less confusion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The construction designed to carry out the system will hereinafter bedescribed, together with other features thereof.

The system will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawingsforming a part thereof, wherein an example of the system is shown andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the system showing thecomponents involved;

FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the system describing themotion carried out make the system work;

FIG. 3 is a cutaway view of one embodiment of the system showing thecomponents involved in the system including the internal springs;

FIG. 4 is a view of the front sight on a firearm;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the front sight;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the rear sight;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rear sight;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the front sight.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the invention references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which theinvention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized andchanges can be made without departing from the scope of the currentinvention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the current invention is definedonly by the claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to whichsuch claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 1 displays a front sight mechanism 100 that can be attached to afirearm 400 by means of a base 113. The base 113 attached to a firearmin ways known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the sight mechanismis specifically designed for highly customizable firearms, and morespecifically the AR-15, which typically has a threaded end. The sightmechanism can be attached directly to the threaded end of the barrel, orit can clamp around the barrel or an extension to the barrel. The systemfeatures a lower tower 103, a top tower 101, and a sight post 105. Thetop tower has a plurality of ears, most preferably two ears 109 that atleast partially enclose and protect the top of the sight post. In apreferred embodiment, when the top tower 101 is in a resting position,the ears form about ¾ circle (270 degrees) around the top of the sightpost, with the target location 115 on the sight post in the directcenter or centroid 117 of the partial circle created by the ears 109 ofthe top tower 101. This invention allows the shooter to sight thefirearm, and then it allows for the shooter to make further adjustmentslater while still maintaining the target location 115 on the sight post105 to be lined up with the centroid 117 of the top tower 101. This sortof configuration helps the shooter to focus better and ultimately leadsto better accuracy for the shooter. This accuracy is further enhanced inhow the front sight 100 interacts with the rear sight 401 to create aline of sight with two additional reference points in addition to thecentroid 117 and the target location 115 of the front sight for a totalof four reference points. The center is referred to as a centroidbecause the ears do not need to form a partial circle, but could alsoform a full circle or other geometric shapes in other embodiments. Dueto the innovations disclosed herein, the front sight post targetlocation 115 or hole lines up in the centroid 117 created by the ears109 even after adjustments are made to the elevation or windage of thefront sight. Windage, or side to side movement of the sight, iscontrolled by the windage knob 121. Elevation, or vertical movement ofthe sight post which is adjusted for different shot distances, iscontrolled by rotating the sight post 105 while pushing down on the toptower 101.

The top tower 101 of the front sight moves relative to both the sightpost and lower tower, but the range is limited by flange on the sightpost. Turning to FIG. 3, the sight post 105 fits inside a cylindricalhole 111 on the top tower 101. The sight post 105 has bottom segmentwith a threaded end 303 that fits into a threaded opening 305 on thelower tower 103. The lower tower 103 also has one or more otheropenings, or sockets 307, that hold springs 301 and match up one or morespring contact points 309 on the top tower 101 to create an upward force311 on the top tower 101. In this configuration, the top tower 101 moveslike a washer on a bolt, with the lower tower 103 being the nut and thesight post 105 being the bolt. In the disclosed invention, the springcontact points can be part of the lower tower 103 or the top tower 101and the sockets can be part of the lower tower 103 or the top tower 101.However, other embodiments could allow for this to be reversed.

The top tower 101 is fixed relative to the lower tower 103 in the xplane 501 and the y plane 502, but movement is allowed in the z plane503 which is the vertical plane when in use, as shown in FIG. 5. In thepreferred embodiment, the lower tower has a non-circular extension 504that fits into an insertion opening 505 sized and shaped to fit thenon-circular extension 504. In other embodiments, there can be more thanone extension and corresponding insertion openings, and the extensionand corresponding insertion openings can be on the top tower or thelower tower.

In the preferred embodiment, the sight post 105 has a sighting locationcomprised of two intersecting holes 115 on the upper portion of thesight post shown most clearly in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 4, theshooter using the firearm 400 will have a line of sight 402 through arear sight 401 that goes through the sighting location 115 on the upperportion of the sight post so that the target is aligned with both therear sight 401 and the upper portion of the sight post 105. As stated,in the preferred embodiment, the sighting location 115 is comprised oftwo circular holes. The fact that the sighting location 115 is comprisedof two holes allows the shooter to have a line of sight with only a onequarter turn of the front sight post.

The front sight has an attachment section 113 designed to lock directlyon to the gun bore or by locking on to some other gun accessory that isdirectly fixed to the gun bore. The attachment section 113 can beattached by any methods known in the art. FIG. 8 shows an alternativeattachment means or base 510.

The vertical movement of the top tower 101 relative to the lower tower103 is further limited by a flange 201 or lip in the middle segment ofthe sight post. The flange 201 is larger than the cylindrical hole 111in the upper tower. The flange 201 does not need to be a full circle,but it must be configured to not pass through the cylindrical hole 111on the top tower 101. Additionally, one or more springs 301 sit in theone or more sockets 307, and push on the one or more spring contactpoints 309 so that to push the top tower 101 against the lip 201 of thesight post 105. The springs 301 can be compression springs, compressionwashers, or other means known in the art for applying constant pressure.In a preferred embodiment, the one or more springs are sized to applyless than fifty newtons of force in total, but more than one quarter ofa newton all together.

FIG. 2 demonstrates use of the front sight 100. When the front sight 100needs to be adjusted, a user must apply downward pressure 203 on the toptower 101 to disengage it from the flange 201 of the sight post 105.That downward pressure 203 must be greater than the pressure applied bythe one or more springs and can be applied by one finger on a first hand207 of the person using the firearm. The user can change the level ofthe top tower 101 by turning 205 the sight post 105 clockwise orcounterclockwise, so that it moves up or down relative to the lowertower 103. The user can turn the sight post 105 using two fingers on asecond hand 209. After the sight post 105 is at the desired level, theuser can release the downward pressure 203 on the top tower 101 byreleasing the one finger 207 so that the top tower 101 will move up tothe flange 201 of the sight post.

The rotation adjusts the level of the sight post and the flange 201relative to the lower tower 103, wherein the lower tower is fixedrelative to the gun bore. Since the distance between the flange 201 andthe sighting location (one of the two holes in the front sight post) 115on the sight post 105 is also fixed, then the position of the sightinglocation 115 on the sight post 105 relative to the upper tower is alsoconstant, as long as no downward pressure 203 is applied to the uppertower in an amount greater than the upward force 311 created by thesprings. This allows for the firearm user to always see a consistentimage of the sighting location 115 on the sight post 105 relative to thepartially enclosing ears 109 of the upper tower. In other words, theposition as indicated by the dotted lines 117 of the sighting location115 is constant. This consistency allows for greater firing accuracy asit eliminates the natural and sometimes unconscious bias encountered byshooters using the state of the art front sight.

FIG. 2 shows the adjustment method used by the system when elevationneeds to be adjusted to match the point of impact of the bullet. The toptower 101 is moved downward against compression springs 301 into thelower tower 103. While the top tower 101 is still being held down thesight post 105 is rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise to changeits height in relation to the lower tower 103 and thereby changing thepoint of aim to match the point of impact. The top tower 101 is thenreleased and is pushed upward by the compression springs 301. The toptower 101 is once again held securely against the sight post 105 due tothe compression springs 301 securely locking the sight post 105 into itsnew position while maintaining concentricity between the top tower 101sight picture and the sight post 105 sight picture.

As stated above, the front sight allows for the target location 115 tobe in the centroid 117 of the front sight ears 109 for two referencepoints that are aligned even after adjustments are made. This frontsight is part of a sighting system that also includes a rear sight 401that also has a sight hole with a center 612 and a centroid 650 thatprovide two additional reference points after sighting adjustments aremade and the system is further clocked for specific shot circumstancesof windage and distance. This allows for the invented sighting system tocreate a constant set of reference points which allow for greatershooting accuracy. A total of four reference points are employed withthis invention.

In referring to FIG. 6 showing the preferred embodiment of the rearsight, the rear sight is comprised of a rear sight post 608 that movesindependently relative to the rest of the rear sight 401. The rear sightis also comprised of an upper tower 603 and a lower tower 604. The uppertower 603 has ears 602 that form an additional reference point around asight hole 606 having a centroid 612. The ears 602 also have a centroid650. The position of the centroid 612 of the sight hole 606 can beeasily locked into the centroid 650 of the ears 602 with a locking means610 such as a spring pin that locks to a locking point on the rear sightpost 608. A spring 616 acts upon the sight post 608, pushing the rearsight post 608 away from the lower tower 604. The upper tower 603 movesvertically independently of the lower tower 604. An elevation knob 601controls the level of the upper tower 603 and the rear sight post 608.The elevation knob 601 has an action point 642 that acts upon a cam(shown as 702 in FIG. 7). The cam has a progressive radius that adjuststhe height of the rear sight post and an upper tower at standarddistances with equal turns. The progressive radius of the cam 702 isspecific to the caliber of the bullet. The cam 702 can be changed outfor specific calibers. The progressive radius of the cam allows forconsistent turn lengths or consistent fractions of turns to match upwith consistent changes in distance. This allows, for example, for1/16^(th) turns to always match up with changes of distance of 100yards. Current state of the art AR-15 sighting systems do not allow forthis.

The elevation knob 601 has an opening to receive an aperture insert 614.In the preferred embodiment, the aperture insert 614 screws into theelevation knob 601, and will also screw into the sight hole 606 (thesight hole 606 contains threads 704 as shown in FIG. 7). This provides astorage mechanism for a second aperture for changing the aperture of thesight hole 606.

The unique features of this sighting system are coupled with a uniquemethod for sighting a firearm employing the presently disclosed sightingsystem. The following steps comprise the preferred embodiment of theprocedure for sighting and shooting a firearm employing the presentlydisclosed sighting system:

1. Use the windage knob 618 of the rear sight 401 so that the rear sightis in the center of the adjustment range.

2. Use the elevation knob 601 of the rear sight to put the rear sight onthe lowest setting. The rear sight is at the lowest setting when turningthe knob in the lowering direction does not lower the upper tower 602.

3. Place a target at a first predetermined target shooting distance fromthe shooter. This first predetermined target distance is 25 yards in thepreferred embodiment. Use only the windage knob 121 and elevationadjustment 115 on the front sight to shoot at least one bullet a firstpredetermined test distance low of center. This first predetermined testdistance is 1.4 inches in the preferred embodiment. The elevation isadjusted by rotating the front sight post 115. After at least one bulletstrikes the target distance that the first predetermined test distancelow of center (it should not be to the right or the left), then proceedto the next step. If the desired point below the center is not hit, theshooter should adjust the windage knob 121 if the shooter is hittingleft or right of the target and should adjust using the elevationadjustment 115 to correct in the vertical direction.

4. Place the target at a second predetermined target shooting distancefrom the shooter. This second predetermined target shooting distance is50 yards in the preferred embodiment. Use only the windage knob 121 andelevation adjustment 115 on the front sight to shoot at least one bulleta second predetermined test distance low of center. This secondpredetermined test distance is 0.4 inches in the preferred embodiment.Repeat as necessary.

5. Place the target at 200 yards to confirm zero. If zero is notconfirmed, repeat steps 2 through 5.

The remaining steps are for shooting after the firearm has been sighted:

6. Use the numbers or clicks on the elevation knob 601 of the rear sightto adjust for desired distance.

7. Use the windage knob 618 of the rear sight to adjust for wind drift.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the front sight showing the four holes115 in the front sight post. The front sight has a clamping screw 514for attaching to the base 510 to the firearm. The front sight also hassprings 513 and a detent bar 515. The windage knob 512 is connected to ashaft 511 that operates against the detent bar 515. The front sight isconfigured to fold around the axis created by the shaft 511.

The invention described herein can be manufactured by machining and madeby metal, alloy and polymer materials practiced in the art.

We claim:
 1. A firearm sighting system comprising a front sight and arear sight, the front sight further comprising a top tower structured toat least partially enclose a sight post, the sight post having a lowersegment with threads, a middle segment with a flange, and an topsegment, and a lower tower having threaded opening for receiving thelower segment of the sight post and an attachment connection structuredto attach to a gun bore, wherein the top tower is structured andoperable to be fixed relative to the lower tower in an x plane and a yplane and to have restricted movement in a z plane wherein therestricted movement in the z plane of the top tower is restricted by theflange wherein the sight post is coupled to the lower tower via thethreads on the lower segment of the sight post mating to the threadedopening on the lower tower wherein the top tower and lower tower arecoupled to a base, the base having a shaft, wherein the top tower andlower tower are configured to fold about the shaft.
 2. The firearmsighting system of claim 1, wherein the front sight further comprisesone or more springs structured and operable to apply an opposing forcebetween the top tower and the lower tower in the z plane.
 3. The firearmsighting system of claim 1, wherein the top segment of the sight postcomprises two holes both structured and operable for creating a line ofsight with a rear sight.
 4. The firearm sighting system of claim 1,wherein the top tower is structured to at least partially enclose thesight post by means of two ears forming an enclosure of 180 degrees ormore.
 5. The firearm sighting system of claim 1, wherein the lower towerhas an extension configured to fit inside the top tower and isstructured and operable to be fixed relative to the top tower relativeto the lower tower in the x plane and the y plane.
 6. The firearmsighting system of claim Error! Reference source not found., wherein theone or more springs apply a force of greater than one quarter of anewton.
 7. A front sight device comprising an upper tower coupled to alower tower the lower tower structured to receive a front sight post,the front sight post having a sight hole, the upper tower structured toreceive the front sight post, wherein the lower tower is coupled to abase via a shaft and wherein the lower tower is configured to fold aboutthe shaft in a x plane.
 8. The front sight device of claim 7, whereinthe upper tower has arms having a centroid and wherein the sight hole islocated at the centroid.
 9. The front sight device of claim 7, whereinthe coupling between the upper tower and lower tower has one or moresprings configured to apply a force in a z plane to the upper towerrelative to the lower tower,
 10. The front sight device of claim 7,wherein the front sight post has threads and is configured to adjust itsposition in the z plane relative to the lower tower by rotating thethreads relative to the lower tower.
 11. The front sight device of claim7, wherein the front sight post has two intersecting sight holes. 12.The front sight device of claim 7, wherein the front sight post has aflange configured to be larger than the hole in the upper tower.
 13. Amethod of sighting a firearm, the method comprising, unfolding a frontsight about an axis displacing an upper tower of a front sight during afirst displacement by applying a force from a person using the firearm,the person pressing the upper tower toward a lower tower of a frontsight, the upper tower comprising a partial enclosure, and a cylindricalhole the lower tower comprising an opening structured for receiving athreaded connection, and an attachment means for attaching to a gunbarrel rotating a sight post having an axis a preselected number ofrotations corresponding to a preselected elevation of the sight postwith respect to the lower tower, the sight post having a top segment,the top segment positioned within the partial enclosure of the uppertower and operable for creating a line of sight with a rear sight, amiddle segment passing through the cylindrical hole of the upper towerand a lower segment, the lower segment further comprising a threadedconnection structured to be coupled to the opening in the lower towerdisplacing the upper tower of the front sight during a seconddisplacement by releasing the force applied by the person on the uppertower.
 14. The method of sighting a firearm of claim 13, wherein theforce applied during the first displacement is greater than the forceexerted by one or more springs, the one or more springs being structuredand operable to exert an opposing force between the upper tower and thelower tower along the axis of the sight post.
 15. The method of sightinga firearm of claim 13, wherein the person using the firearm applies theforce in the first displacement with one or more fingers.
 16. The methodof sighting a firearm of claim 13, wherein the top segment of the sightpost comprises a ring, the ring operating so that the line of sight withthe rear sight extends through the ring.
 17. The method of sighting afirearm of claim 13, wherein the middle segment of the sight postcomprises a flange, the flange being larger than the cylindrical hole ofthe upper tower and operable to statically oppose the force between theupper tower and the lower tower.
 18. The method of sighting a firearm ofclaim 13, wherein the upper tower and the lower tower are coupledtogether by one or more extensions mated to one or more sockets, theextensions and sockets structured and configured to prevent movement ofthe upper tower in an x plane and a y plane relative to lower tower. 19.The method of sighting a firearm of claim 13, wherein the step ofrotating the sight post occurs after the first displacement and beforethe second displacement.
 20. The method of sighting a firearm of claim13, wherein the springs are compression springs.